The Greene County Middle School was put on a temporary Hold Wednesday to investigate a reported suspicious person that turned out to be a technician doing maintenance work. 

According to Greene County School District Superintendent Brett Abbotts, the middle school was placed on a temporary Hold after some students reported seeing a man wearing all black and a ski mask pulling on the exterior doors. Abbotts says when a school building is in a Hold procedure, that means all movement in and out of the building is paused, while learning can continue to happen in the classrooms safely. 

Abbotts states that law enforcement was immediately contacted to do an investigation. He notes that after doing a full building and perimeter search, law enforcement also reviewed surveillance video and talked with individuals involved. Following the investigation, Abbotts says it was determined that the individual was a technician who was working on repairs to the Iowa Communications Network inside the building and was placing a generator on the outside. 

Abbotts points out that at no time did the technician pose a threat and the individual had appropriately signed into the school system and was approved to complete the work. He recognizes that this person was unfamiliar to the students, but in the interest of student and school safety, the decisions and protocols were followed and the Hold was lifted within 15 minutes. He appreciates the students and staff for reporting what they saw and for law enforcement’s response to the situation.